NCEI added Alaska climate divisions to its nClimDiv dataset on Friday, March 6, 2015, coincident with the release of the February 2015 monthly monitoring report. For more information on this data, please visit the Alaska Climate Divisions FAQ.

On a broad scale, the previous two decades (1980s and 1990s)
were characterized by unusual wetness with short periods of
extensive droughts, whereas the 1930s and 1950s were characterized
by prolonged periods of extensive droughts with little wetness
(moderate
to extreme drought,
severe to extreme drought).

Historical temperature, precipitation, and Palmer drought data
from 1895 to present for climate divisions, states, and regions in
the contiguous U.S. are available at the Climate Division:
Temperature-Precipitation-Drought Data page in files having
names that start with "drd964x" and ending with "txt" (without the
quotes).

Detailed Drought Discussion

At the end of February
extreme hydrologic drought was concentrated in Texas, Wyoming, and
northern Minnesota. Drought and abnormal dryness covered a broad
swath from central and southern California through the northwestern
Plains into the upper Midwest (February 27
Drought Monitor). Drought and abnormal dryness continued in
Florida and increased in the central and southern Appalachians. In
southern California and the upper Midwest, soil
moisture was low. Vegetative
health had become more stressed in the West. Streamflow
was low in the East, especially in Tennessee, in parts of the
Plains, and in Wyoming.

In Texas and Florida
mandatory or voluntary water restrictions were in place in several
municipalities. Private water wells were becoming dry in Texas.
Burning bans were common in drought-stricken areas, and wildfires
reduced forage in western Nebraska and increased in number in
Florida. The hay supply in the central part of the country was 20
percent of average, leading to increased prices and abnormal
selling of livestock at auctions. The killing of livestock and pets
by wild animals in southcentral Texas increased as the wildlife
searched for new food and water sources during the continuing
drought. Dryness has increased the salinity of Virginia's James
River and the Chesapeake Bay permitting the growth of parasites
that are harmful to oysters; in some areas the oyster death rate
was 90 percent. Impacts in drought-stricken areas have been
collected and summarized by county at the National Drought
Mitigation Center's
Drought Impact Reporter.

Pre-Instrumental Perspective

There is no Febuary 2007 Paleoclimatic
Perspective

Citing This Report

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, State of the Climate: Drought for February 2007, published online March 2007, retrieved on December 9, 2016 from http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/drought/200702.